Mexico seeks to ensure the supply of 13 critical minerals in different forums and multilateral organizations, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a call presented by the United States, the Secretary of Economy reported this Thursday, Marcelo Ebrard.
- The head of the Ministry of Economy specified how mineral resources scarce or non-existent in Mexico to the following: Aluminum
- cadmio
- Cobalt
- Chrome
- Germanium
- Iridium
- Lithium
- Nickel
- Palladium
- Platinum
- Tantalum
- Titanium
- Vanadium
On the contrary, he added that the mineral resources that Mexico concentrates or processes They are: barite, copper, fluorite, graphite, magnesium, magnesium, silver, lead and zinc.
Ebrard Casaubon He highlighted that Mexico needs to participate in all international forums to guarantee the supply of critical minerals that it does not have or has few of them, using aluminum as an example, on which the automotive industry largely depends.
Another relevant case is that of lithium. Mexico has lithium potentialespecially in Sonora, with one of the largest clay deposits. It offers geological advantage and proximity to the United States. However, it faces technical limitations due to the type of deposit, high extraction costs, restrictive regulatory framework and environmental challenges. For now, the Mexican Petroleum Institute is researching technologies to give economic viability to its future production.
Ebrard explained that the next 14th WTO Ministerial Conferencewhich will be held from March 26 to 29, 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, will have as part of its themes “remaking” this organization and the trade in critical minerals.
Regarding the trade of critical minerals, Mexico participates in various forums in which, for example, Latin America, Latin America, India and Canada participate.
Mexico stands out in the production of eight of the 60 critical minerals of interest to the United States, according to information from the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The USGS ranks these products by their economic and strategic importance, since they are within the categories that it considers vulnerable due to their role in essential technologies (such as batteries, energy, electronics and defense) and due to risks in their supply chains.
Mexico is among the world’s leading producers of antimony, barite, copper, fluorine, graphite, lead, silver and zinc and, as reported last week by the Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, it participates in multilateral negotiations on critical minerals with the United States, Canada, Japan and the 27 members of the European Union, among others.
